Department for Transport

Belfast International Airport: Coronavirus

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what resources they have made available to support Belfast International Airport during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The aviation sector is vital to our future as a global trading nation, playing a critical role in local economies, including in Northern Ireland. The national measures taken in response to COVID-19 have been unprecedented, enabling airlines, airports and ground handlers to benefit from a very significant amount of taxpayer support. This includes, but is not limited to, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and financing facilities. The Government is also working on a strategic framework for the medium and long-term recovery of the aviation sector in the form of a recovery plan. Airport policy is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive (NIE). NIE has provided business rates relief to airports in Northern Ireland worth £2.2 million. NIE are continuing to consider appropriate support for airports in Northern Ireland.

Aviation: Coronavirus

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the lockdown restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic on the airline industry over the Christmas period.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government is in regular contact with the aviation sector to understand their passenger forecasts and financial projections, including regarding the impact of COVID-19 over the Christmas period. Airlines are putting in appropriate operations to meet any increase in demand over Christmas, during which the Government have has agreed to lift travel restrictions from 23 – 27 December. Firms can also continue to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including schemes to raise capital, tax deferrals, and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The Government announced on 5 November that the CJRS will be extended until March 2021 and furloughed employees will continue to receive 80% of their current salary. This will continue to protect jobs across in the UK in the difficult winter months. The national restrictions as a result of the pandemic have not changed the way we engage regularly with the sector. We continue an open dialogue as we work towards our shared ambition of getting aviation up and running again in a safe and secure way.

Aviation: Coronavirus

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage business travel (1) to help the airline industry, (2) to increase tourism, and (3) to support airport workers back into full-time employment.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The recent Global Travel Taskforce report set out a range measures to support a safe and sustainable return to international travel. To support demand, we are implementing a ‘Test to Release for International Travel’ scheme in England, allowing arrivals from countries not on the travel corridors list to pay for a privately provided COVID-19 test and reduce their period of self-isolation if the test is negative. The Government is also exploring the feasibility of a short-stay business travel exemption and planning public health and communications campaigns to boost consumer confidence. Further measures from the Global Travel Taskforce report are being worked on at pace. In addition to these measures, the travel and tourism industry has been helped by the Government’s substantial business and employment support packages including business rates relief, government backed loans and one-off grants for eligible businesses, and the reduction of VAT for tourism and hospitality to 5% until the end of March. We are also working with industry partners to support talent and skills retention, through measures that include the Department for Work and Pensions’ Flexible Support Fund and Rapid Response Service, to support aviation workers at risk of redundancy to stay in employment or move between sectors.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Small Businesses: Coronavirus

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the lockdown restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic on the small business sector over the Christmas period.

Lord Callanan: The Government is working closely with Local Authorities in England to support the implementation of grants to support businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic and monitor the distribution of grant funds. Where local authorities are in Tier 3 (Very High) funding will continue to be provided to support those businesses required to close, through the Local Restriction Support Grant (Closed), a grant up to £1,500 every 14 days. Alongside those businesses who have been mandated to close, funding will also be provided to support those business who have had their trade adversely affected by restrictions. The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open) provides further discretionary funding to Local Authorities whilst in Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions so they can support businesses that are impacted but not required to close. The Additional Restrictions Grant was provided to Local Authorities as a one-off lump sum discretionary scheme, providing support to businesses severely impacted by restrictions as well as wider business support.  The Christmas support payment for ‘wet-led’ pubs is a one-off grant payment of £1,000 for wet-led pubs in Tier 2 and 3 who have had their trade effected due to localised restrictions during the Christmas period. Local Restrictions Support Grant (Sector) will provide funding of grants of up to £1,500 every 14 days for businesses mandated to close on a sector basis, such as nightclubs. This is in conjunction with the extension of the application deadline to the 31 January 2021 for three Coronavirus business interruption loan schemes – the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme. Eligible businesses will be able to ‘top up’ existing Bounce Back Loans should they need additional finance.

Diabetes: Coronavirus

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to support people with diabeteswhoreturn to work in their normal workplaceduring the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Callanan: Our safer working guidance includes advice specifically on supporting employees with characteristics that put them at higher risk of infection and/or an adverse outcome if infected, including those with health conditions such as diabetes. This guidance is regularly updated and measures reviewed in line with scientific evidence. The guidance can be found at: www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have sufficient quantities of effective alternative vaccines for the entire UK population following the recent AstraZeneca test results.

Lord Callanan: The UK Government has secured early access to 357 million vaccines doses through agreements with seven separate vaccine developers. This includes agreements with:BioNTech/Pfizer for 40 million doses.Oxford/AstraZeneca for 100 million doses.GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Pasteur for 60 million doses.Novavax for 60 million doses.Janssen for 30 million doses.Valneva for 60 million doses.Moderna for 7 million doses.

Bomb Disposal

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the distinction between commercial and military offshore unexploded ordnance disposal by deflagration, and (2) the effectiveness of deflagration in the offshore disposal of unexploded ordnance.

Lord Callanan: The Government recognise the potential for significant impact of underwater noise from unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance on vulnerable marine species and is taking active steps to manage and reduce the risk. Two phases of a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) funded project to characterise and contrast the acoustic fields generated by UXO clearance using high order detonation and using low-order deflagration have been completed and reported on. It is our understanding that there is no appreciable distinction between the deflagration technique used by commercial and military clearance of marine UXO. A third phase has now been initiated to further improve the information base, allowing further assessment of the clearance options. A potential 4th phase of the work involving offshore field work is also being actively explored in which comparative noise measurements would be made during actual UXO clearance campaigns using both deflagration and high order detonations. This would require cooperation and active support from industry (windfarm developers) and the regulatory authorities. The outcomes from the 3rd and 4th phases would allow an informed discussion and consideration of the adequacy of evidence by regulatory authorities and the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies.

Department of Health and Social Care

HIV Infection: Preventive Medicine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government when theyestimatethe Dapivirine vaginal ringwill be available to women (1) in the UK, and (2) abroad; and what plans they have to ensure that it is free at the point of delivery.

Lord Bethell: The Government has no specific plans to make the Dapivirine vaginal ring available to women in the United Kingdom. The Dapivirine Vaginal Ring 25mg was approved in accordance with the legal basis of Article 58 of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004. This legal basis is intended exclusively for markets outside the European community. The product is not authorised in the UK and the company have not sought a specific medical authorisation in the UK. However, the Government remains committed to reaching zero new HIV transmissions in England by 2030. Careful consideration will be given to the recommendations made in the independent HIV Commission’s recently published report on reaching the 2030 target as we develop the Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy and HIV Action Plan, which we plan to publish in 2021.In terms of the use of this product abroad, the decision on whether or not to use the product and its availability is a matter for national regulators. It is anticipated rollout of the Dapivirine vaginal ring to some African countries may begin by mid-2021. The cost of the ring has been kept as low as possible. The goal is for the ring to be publicly funded and provided to women at no cost.

Top Glove

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have procured any latex gloves from Top Glove in the last 12 months; and if so, (1) what assessment they have made of the wages paid to Top Glove workers, and (2) whether they have taken any steps to avoid further procurement from Top Glove.

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government which suppliers of latex gloves they have contracts with in the coming 12 months; and what quantity they intend to purchase from each supplier.

Lord Bethell: NHS Supply Chain, the main provider of consumables and equipment into the National Health Service, have led on the procurement of gloves. They approached all suppliers awarded onto their framework contracts during October 2019 requesting confirmation as to whether any of the gloves supplied to NHS Supply Chain were sourced from Top Glove. Two suppliers initially responded at the end of 2019 that they have used Top Glove but have since advised they no longer source gloves from Top Glove for supply to the NHS. This means none of their awarded framework suppliers are now supplying NHS Supply Chain with gloves manufactured by Top Glove.The Department has not directly procured from Top Glove but has been supplied small quantities of gloves from Top Glove through a handful of intermediary suppliers. The Department has since engaged with these suppliers to understand their modern-day slavery policies. The Department itself has no plans to award further contracts for gloves.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support behavioural, environmental and social science interventions against COVID-19; and what assessment they have made of investing in such interventions.

Lord Bethell: The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies’ subgroup the Scientific Pandemic Influenza group on Behaviour (SPI-B) offers insights into the behavioural and psychological impacts of the implementation of proposed interventions or responses to COVID-19. SPI-B is not asked to comment on the effectiveness of particular interventions, nor on when they should be triggered. The group is asked to provide advice aimed at anticipating and helping people adhere to interventions that are recommended by medical or epidemiological experts.

Coronavirus: Contact Tracing

Lord Walney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve connectivity between the national COVID-19 contact tracing system and local outbreak control systems; and if they have any such plans, what are the timescales by which they expect to make any such changes.

Lord Bethell: Since its inception, NHS Test and Trace has worked closely with local authorities and local directors of public health. Local Tracing Partnerships, first announced on 5 August, use local knowledge about communities and individuals to help ensure contact tracers reach the greatest possible proportion of people who have tested positive, both to help identify any support needs for them and other members of their households and to gather information about their recent contacts. As at 8 December, 275 Local Tracing Partnerships are in place, with more in implementation.Local Tracing Partnerships involve local and national teams working together and sharing data as appropriate to ensure an integrated approach to contact tracing, support for self-isolation and preventing and managing local outbreaks.

Methodist Homes for the Aged: Visits

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Methodist Homes' care home visitor policy.

Lord Bethell: On 1 December, we published updated online only guidance to enable more meaningful indoor visits to take place for care home residents across all tiers. This is enabled by providing testing to visitors, which will be available before Christmas. It is a matter for care providers to make decisions about their visiting policy, based on the national guidance.The guidance enables care home providers, families and local professionals to work together to find the right balance between the benefits of visiting on wellbeing and quality of life, and the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to vulnerable residents and social care staff.When developing this policy, we have engaged with a range of stakeholders from across the sector including the Methodist Home Association.

Gynaecology

Baroness Grey-Thompson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to create women’s health hubs to prevent women and girls requiring multiple medical appointments to address different gynaecological and reproductive health needs.

Lord Bethell: There are currently no plans to create women’s health hubs. The Government is committed to supporting the National Health Service and local authorities to deliver joined-up care for women across the full range of health and care services.

Hospices: Finance

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have to provide funding tocharitable hospice care providers who have lost community funding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide funding to Rennie Grove Hospice Care to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Bethell: The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement recognise the huge role palliative and end of life care services, including hospices, have played in the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This importance was acknowledged in the provision of over £150 million in additional funding to the hospice sector between April and July. Further additional funding of up to £125 million has now been announced to enable hospices to continue their vital end of life care services and deliver even greater support for the National Health Service.NHS England and NHS Improvement can confirm that Rennie Grove Hospice received £1,000,317 between April and July this year. Rennie Grove, like other hospices, will be eligible to apply for the further additional funding now being made available.

Department for Education

Higher Education: Travellers

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to remove barriers to higher education for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Office for Students (OfS), the regulator for higher education (HE) in England, identifies people from Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller backgrounds as people who are likely to experience issues in accessing, and successfully participating, in HE. As such, they asked HE providers to consider the needs of this group in their Access and Participation Plans for 2021-2024/25. These plans are designed to support all students from disadvantaged backgrounds and under-represented groups to enter and succeed in HE, and all HE providers charging higher level tuition fees must have a plan agreed by the OfS.

Erasmus+ Programme

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement in theSpending Review 2020,published on 25 November, that the Department for Education settlement"provides funding to prepare for a UK-wide domestic alternative to Erasmus+, in the event that the UK no longer participates in Erasmus+, to fund outward global education mobilities", whether such funding would be sufficient to provide for reciprocal arrangements as in the current Erasmus+ programme; and what steps are being taken to secure the recognition of other countries for a possible UK domestic alternative scheme.

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the domestic scheme to replace Erasmus+ set up by Switzerland; and if no such assessment has been made, what plans they have to assess the effectiveness of the Swiss replacement scheme before committing to a UK domestic alternative.

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in addition to university student placements, any domestic alternative to Erasmus+ would cover (1) school exchanges for pupils and teachers, (2) technical education and workplace training, (3) work shadowing and youth work, (4) sports, (5) older people, (6) disadvantaged areas, (7) arts projects, and (8) people with disabilities, in line with the current Erasmus+ programme.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Participation in Erasmus+ is subject to our ongoing negotiations with the EU.In parallel with the negotiations, we are continuing to develop a UK-wide domestic alternative to Erasmus+ as a contingency measure. The Spending Review 2020 committed funding to prepare for a UK-wide domestic alternative, in the event that the UK no longer participates in Erasmus+, to fund outward global education mobility schemes. The government will set out further details on this potential scheme in due course.As part of our ongoing preparations towards this potential scheme, we have looked at comparable schemes across the globe, including the Swiss European Mobility Scheme. The Department for Education is in regular contact with the Swiss government to discuss education-related matters, maintaining an open dialogue and holding discussions to share insights and best practice, including on the Swiss exchange scheme.Youth and sport are the responsibility of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and it has been considering the provision of a domestic alternative scheme for the youth elements of Erasmus+ as part of the recent Spending Review. Funding was not, however, allocated to a domestic alternative to the youth element of Erasmus+ at the Spending Review.Erasmus+ Sport is a very small part of the programme, representing only 1.8% of the overall budget. We are already investing significant sums of money in sport programmes which align with Erasmus+ Sport themes and objectives, and do not consider that there is a need to create a specific domestic alternative programme to replace Erasmus+ Sport activities. For example, through Sport England, we are investing more than £1.2 billion from the 2016 financial year to the 2021 financial year on grassroots sport and physical activity programmes.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

British Overseas Territories: Marine Protected Areas

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing the government of Tristan da Cunha with the establishment of the islands’ marine protection zone.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government has been supporting Tristan da Cunha to enhance marine protection in their waters since 2016, as part of the Blue Belt initiative. This has included two major multi-disciplinary surveys to improve knowledge of inshore, seamounts and open ocean ecosystems to inform management decisions; provided a new vessel for inshore biodiversity monitoring and refurbished the existing fisheries patrol vessel; expert advice on the design of the marine protection zone including recommendations for 'Area To Be Avoided' around the islands to protect vulnerable habitats; assistance with putting in place effective legislation and management strategies to underpin the designation; extensive training (sea-survival, vessel maintenance, enforcement training, fisheries observer training) to build capacity on island; and targeted satellite surveillance to ensure Tristan's waters are effectively monitored and enforced.Since the designation, the Blue Belt programme has also provided some additional support to assist Tristan diversify its economy from offshore commercial fishing revenue.

Ascension Island: Infrastructure

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Suggon 18 November (HL10238), what application has been made to the Conflict Stability and Security Fund for infrastructure work on Ascension Island for the 2021/22 financial year onwards.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The precise allocations of the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund budget for 2021/2022 are still to be confirmed. A prioritisation exercise of infrastructural work for next year including Ascension Island will be undertaken following confirmation of precise budgets.

Ascension Island: Infrastructure

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Suggon 18 November (HL10238), what estimate they have made of the total cost of the infrastructure work required on Ascension Island.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: A 2017 report identified a wide array infrastructure on Ascension Island which required repair. Eleven infrastructure projects have been identified as priorities and are estimated cost approximately £39 million to fix. In order to address the most urgent repairs, £5 million from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund was allocated in 2018 for a capital investment programme over three years. Additionally, the runway repair project, which is now underway is jointly funded with the United States at a total cost of $170 million. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is working with the Ascension Island Government to ensure that there is a clear prioritised plan for infrastructure repair works along with a detailed asset management plan to ensure the island's critical infrastructure is properly maintained.

Ascension Island: Infrastructure

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 18 November (HL10238), how much revenue has been raised by the government of Ascension Island through taxes in each of the last five years; and what proportion ofthat revenue has been allocated to infrastructure improvement.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Ascension Island Government has raised the following revenue via taxation over the last 5 years: 2015/2016: £5,105,491; 2016/2017: £4,987,011; 2017/2018: £4,870,185; 2018/2019: £4,579,244; 2019/2020: £4,750,558. These funds have primarily been used to provide essential public services on the island. The cessation of the South Atlantic Airbridge in 2017 due to damage on Wideawake Runway has reduced the Ascension Island Government's ability to raise more in tax revenue. The funding available for infrastructure works therefore has been limited. The Ascension Island Government's budget is discussed as part of on-island Council meetings with any expenditure agreed by island Councillors.

Israel: Detainees

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the report by Save the Children Defenceless: The impact of the Israeli military detention system on Palestinian children,published on 29 October; and what response they have made to that report.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are concerned by the findings of the Save the Children's report entitled, 'Defenceless: The impact of the Israeli military detention system on Palestinian children'. We remain concerned about the treatment of Palestinian children detained in Israeli prisons. Reports of the heavy use of painful restraints and the high number of Palestinian children who are not informed of their legal rights, in contravention of Israel's own regulations, are particularly concerning, as is the continued transfer of Palestinian child and adult detainees to prisons inside Israel in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. We remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding children in detention. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv have a regular dialogue with Israel on this issue. We also fund projects providing legal aid to minors and capacity building to local lawyers. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law.

Israel: Armed Forces

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about ensuring that any Israel Defence Force soldier who is found guilty of (1) killing, or (2) injuring, any Palestinian is sentenced appropriately.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government is very concerned at the high numbers of Palestinians killed and injured by Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank and Gaza. We regularly raise the issue with the Israeli authorities, encouraging them to carry out transparent investigations into whether use of live fire had been appropriate. We continue to urge the Israeli authorities to thoroughly investigate every instance and to bring those responsible to justice and to end the culture of impunity.

Jerusalem: Evictions

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports thatPalestinians living in Sheikh Jarrah are being evicted by the government of Israel; and what steps they are taking in response to any such assessment.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are seriously concerned by increasing rates of evictions and demolition of Palestinian property by the Israeli authorities. In all but the most exceptional of circumstances they are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa raised our concern about demolition of Palestinian property, and eviction of Palestinians from their homes, with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 29 October, and the British Embassy in Tel Aviv raises this issue regularly with the Israeli authorities. On 25 November, the UK Consul General Jerusalem visited families at risk of eviction in Sheikh Jarrah, restating UK opposition to evictions of Palestinians from their homes. The UK is focused on preventing demolitions and evictions from happening in the first place through our legal aid programme, which supports Bedouin communities and Palestinians facing demolition or home eviction in both the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes.

India: Religious Freedom

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports (1) thatMuslim and Christian minorities are being persecuted in India, and (2) that such persecution has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic following accusations that those minorities had spread COVID-19; and what discussions they have had with the government of India about (a) the reported marginalisation ofthe Dalit community, in particular Dalit sanitation workers, and (b) the level of poverty among religious minority groups in that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK continuously assesses the human rights situation in India. We oppose discrimination against minorities because of caste, religion or belief. I speak regularly to my opposite number in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi and the Indian High Commissioner in the UK, and raise concerns where we have them.The British High Commission in New Delhi regularly meets minority representatives and runs projects promoting minority rights. In 2016-18, we funded a project in Uttar Pradesh empowering 400 Dalit human rights defenders to challenge discrimination and violence against Dalit women. Over the last 3 years, we have worked with local NGOs to bring together young people of diverse faiths to work together on social action projects to promote a culture of inter-faith tolerance.

Ministry of Defence

Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations

Lord De Mauley: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the Reserve Forces and Cadets Associations External Scrutiny Team Report 2020.

Baroness Goldie: We are very grateful to the External Scrutiny Team for their work, and the Ministry of Defence will publish their 2020 report early in the New Year.

Department for Work and Pensions

Jobcentres: Training

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide up to date training for Job Centre staff on the skills that employers are currently seeking.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The department is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants.Our Work Coaches undergo a comprehensive learning journey designed to equip them with the tools, skills and behaviours required to provide a high quality service. Learning provision supports jobcentre staff in coaching claimants to develop their abilities, knowledge and confidence, to promote themselves when applying for vacancies.Learning provided enables Jobcentre staff to demonstrate the key role of social media and digital vacancy filling. They learn about the latest digital job search methods which employers use to advertise vacancies, for example; Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. This enables work coaches to confidently demonstrate all use of social media to claimants and promote internet job search sites. Jobcentre staff are provided with the skills to coach on creating Curriculum Vitae, uploading and sharing these to increase claimants’ on-line presence.Learning provides Jobcentre staff with the knowledge to explore their districts’ labour Market, providing claimants and employers with more choice and expertise when filling vacancies.Jobcentre staff are taught how to use the District Provision Tool, as the main vehicle to source provision and support claimants, enabling them to obtain and retain a job and progress within their employment.The District Provision Tool is a directory of the provision and support delivered by Jobcentre Plus, Skills Funding Agency (SFA), Skills Development Scotland, Careers Wales other providers, local authorities, independent, volunteer and charity organisations.It hosts all the available provision and support in a district and nationally. The tool aids customer facing staff to explore the full flexible menu of support and maximise provision in developing claimant’s skills to enable them to obtain and retain a job and progress within their employment.

Employment: Disability

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the number of Job Centre staff who have experience in supporting disabled people to find employment.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: We remain absolutely committed to supporting disabled people, including ensuring access to Disability Employment Advisers (DEA). Our DEAs are an integral part of our service, supporting Work Coaches to provide more personalised support, tailored for each claimant’s individual needs; this includes peer coaching, three-way conversations with claimants and by sharing knowledge and information about health and disability services nationally and in local communities. All Jobcentre Work Coaches undergo a comprehensive learning journey designed to equip them with the tools, skills and behaviours required to provide a high quality service to all claimants including people with health conditions or disabilities. They receive on-going learning in their roles and have access to guidance which is refreshed at regular intervals. Part of the training programme advises Work Coaches to consult with their DEA if the claimant has a complex health issue or disability which need to be better understood. We are doubling the number of Work Coaches across our network of Jobcentres, from 13,500 to 27,000, so that every jobseeker receives tailored support to build skills and move into work. Additional support for disabled people is also available through initiatives such as Access to Work (ATW), Disability Confident, Work and Health Programme (WHP), Fair Start Scotland, and the Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme (IPES).

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Ships: Waste Disposal

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) possible sites in the United Kingdom for the dismantling of ships and the disposal of any hazardous materials that they might contain, and (2) the potential global demand for, and value of, such operations.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Defra conducted an assessment of UK ship recycling facilities in 2015 as part of the preparation of a public consultation on the UK’s implementation of European Union Regulation 1257/2013 on ship recycling. Defra wrote to all of the UK ship recycling facilities that held valid permits and approvals required under existing legislation to undertake ship recycling activities in the UK at that time to make them aware of the new EU Ship Recycling Regulation and to discuss compliance with its requirements. A total of 18 suitably authorised facilities were identified. Defra has made no assessment of the global demand for, and value of, ship recycling facilities. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published a report on ship recycling in April 2019 which includes an assessment of the global market for ship recycling. It is available on the OECD iLibrary website (www.oecd-ilibrary.org).

Development Aid: Nature Conservation

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetheroverseas territories which are eligible for Official Development Assistance will be able to apply for large-scale project funding that is equivalent to that provided through Darwin Plus.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Those UK Overseas Territories that are Official Development Assistance eligible are now able to apply for funding via the main Darwin Initiative programme, rather than through the Darwin Plus scheme.

Home Office

Immigration: EU Countries

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of EU citizens who are resident in the UK;and how many of those have not yet made an application for settled status.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The latest published information on EU Settlement Scheme applications received can be found on the Home Office’s ‘EU Settlement Scheme statistics’ web page available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/eu-settlement-scheme-statisticsThe total number of applications received up to 31 October 2020 was 4.26 million (4,260,400).The published figures refer specifically to applications made to the EU Settlement Scheme and cannot be directly compared with estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on the resident population of EU/EEA nationals in the UK. The published EUSS figures include non-EEA family members, Irish nationals, and eligible EEA citizens not resident in the UK, none of whom are usually included in estimates of the resident EU population. Furthermore, the population estimates do not take account of people’s migration intentions and will include people who have come to the UK for a range of purposes, including some who have no intention to settle in the UK.

Slavery

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government which police forces, if any,do not havea modern slavery unit.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The police have taken significant steps to improve the response to modern slavery over the last few years and all police forces in England and Wales now have specialist resources to tackle modern slavery. These can include specialist-led triage processes to oversee investigations, specialist investigative units and specialist research and analytical capabilities.The Home Office supported this activity by providing £13.6m funding from the Police Transformation Programme between 2016/17 and 2019/20 and a further £2m in 2020/21 to the new Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Programme. The latest annual report for 2019/20 for the programme can be found at: https://policingslavery.co.uk/media/2563/ms-annual-report-2020.pdfMS Annual Report - 2020 (pdf, 9182.1KB)

Military Bases

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many former military bases they are currently using for other purposes.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office is currently utilising two former military bases.

Immigration: EU Countries

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow first year university students from the EU, who have not yet moved to the UK, to qualify for EU pre–settled status.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: In line with the Citizens’ Rights Agreements, the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020 remains the point by which EU citizens need to be resident in the UK to be eligible in their own right for the EU Settlement Scheme.

Modern Slavery Act 2015

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 18 November (HL9994), how many (1) complaints related to non-compliance of section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015they have received, and (2) subsequent court injunctions the Home Secretary has applied for.

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 18 November (HL9994), when theyplan to implement the changes to strengthen and future proof transparency of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 highlighted in their response to the Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act, published on 22 September.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 established the UK as the first country in the world to require businesses to report annually on steps taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. To comply with the requirement, statements must be:Published annually via a prominent link on the organisation’s homepage;Approved by the Board of Directors or equivalent;Signed by a Director or equivalent.To assess compliance with the legal requirements, the Home Office contracted the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) to undertake an audit on the Home Office’s behalf. The audit findings on levels of compliance were published on 17 September 2020 in the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s annual report (available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-anti-slavery-commissioners-annual-report-2019-to-2020).The injunctive power in the legislation has not been used to date. The Government has committed to strengthening the legislation and our response to the transparency in supply chains consultation, published on 22 September 2020, announced an ambitious package of changes to section 54, including introducing mandatory reporting topics, a single reporting deadline and a central Government-run registry, to enable Government and others to continuously monitor compliance. These measures require primary legislation and will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.In the meantime, we will be asking organisations to start preparing for the new requirements, including by publishing their statements on the new Government-run modern slavery registry, which is due to launch in 2021. The new registry will enhance transparency by making modern slavery statements available in one place for the first time. It will provide greater visibility of the steps organisations are taking to prevent modern slavery in their global supply chains and empower investors, consumers and civil society to scrutinise action and monitor progress.The Government has also committed to considering enforcement options in line with the development of the Single Enforcement Body for employment rights, led by BEIS.Modern Slavery Annual Report - 2019-20 (pdf, 1439.2KB)

Cabinet Office

United Kingdom

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) schemes, and (2) initiatives, they plan to introduce (a) to strengthen the Union, and (b) foster more links between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Lord True: This Government is committed to strengthening the Union and the links between different parts of the UK, including between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Departments are taking a variety of actions to strengthen the Union.Earlier this year the Prime Minister announced a review would be undertaken into union connectivity, exploring ways to improve connectivity between our four nations and to bring forward funding to accelerate infrastructure projects.The Government is working closely with the devolved administrations on a variety of different policy agendas including preparations for the end of the UK transition period and the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. We are also working with the devolved administrations to improve intergovernmental relations.

Government Departments: Procurement

Lord Aberdare: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which government construction procurers comply with Regulation 113 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 which gives public sector bodies a statutory duty to ensure that 30-day payment clauses are inserted in all sub-contracts and sub-sub-contracts.

Lord True: This information is not held centrally. Individual contracting authorities are responsible for complying with Regulation 113 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 on relevant procurements. Businesses are encouraged to report instances of late or unfair payment in public sector contracts to the Public Procurement Review Service.

Treasury

Debts: Africa

Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the case for responding to COVID-19-related sovereign debt issues in Africa (1) by allocatingspecial drawing rights by the International Monetary Fund to the worst affected countries, and (2) extending the G20's debt service suspension initiative to permit the participation of multilateral development banks and private sector creditors.

Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have(1) to support the creation of a permanent mechanism under the UN for the systematic comprehensive and permanent restructuring of sovereign debt, and (2) to set up a programme of continuing technical assistance to improve (a) debt transparency, and (b) the debt management offices, of those countries worst affected by the COVID-19 related debt crisis.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The UK has been vocal in its support for the IMF, helping economies facing liquidity pressures as a result of Covid-19, including supporting the IMF exploring an SDR allocation. Moreover, the UK has helped the worst affected countries by contributing £150m to the IMF’s Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust which provides debt service relief to the lowest-income countries. This has allowed 28 countries to alleviate their funding pressures and helped them increase their social and Covid-19 related spending. The UK has also provided a new £2.2bn loan to the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust to provide financial assistance to low income countries at concessional rates to respond to Covid-19. The UK has engaged with the UN on debt issues, reaffirming our commitment to support debt relief initiatives for vulnerable countries. However, we have not supported the creation of a permanent debt resolution mechanism at the UN. Previous discussions at the IMF could not secure consensus on such a mechanism and we do not judge that this has changed. Instead, the UK has worked through the G20 and Paris Club, first to deliver the Debt Service Suspension Initiative which has paused payments from the poorest 46 countries until at least mid-2021 and second to develop a Common Framework for future debt treatments which will facilitate quicker and simpler restructurings where required. This historic achievement marks the first time traditional creditors from the Paris Club, and emerging G20 creditors, such as China, the largest bilateral creditor, have agreed to participate in coordinated debt restructurings where they are needed. To ensure that the multilateral development banks are able to continue mobilising large amounts of financing during the crisis, the UK and the G20 has supported the MBDs taking a “net positive flows” approach to DSSI participation. This ensures that borrowing countries receive significantly more funds from the MDBs in 2020 than they repay. For the most vulnerable, much of this funding will be on grant terms. We are disappointed that there has not been significant DSSI implementation by private sector creditors. Our assessment, which is shared by the IMF and the World Bank, has been that this has primarily been driven by a lack of willingness from borrowing countries to request suspensions from private creditors due to risks to their sovereign credit ratings. We strongly encourage private creditors to participate on comparable terms when requested by eligible countries. Technical assistance and capacity building are critical to ensuring long-term debt sustainability in developing countries and even more important during crises. The UK is a donor to the joint IMF-World Bank Debt Management Facility (DMF), a world leading facility which provides high quality technical assistance in a wide range of areas, ranging from debt monitoring, recording and transparency to debt crisis response. The UK is providing £4m over 5 years to the DMF. We have also recently announced new funding for the African Legal Support Facility, providing £1m over two years, which supports countries to build negotiation capacity and engage with their creditors on a level playing field.

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the new alcohol duty system (1) protects public health, and (2) helps to reduce alcohol harm.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Treasury is conducting a review of the alcohol duty system. As part of this it is engaging with public health groups along with other interested stakeholders. However, while public health is an important factor, it is not the sole consideration, as the Government will also need to take account of the wider fiscal and economic implications of reform.

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the health impacts of freezing alcohol duty in the 2020 Budget.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: All taxes are kept under review and the impact of a change to alcohol duty is considered at each fiscal event, including its effect on health. As a freeze in duties involves no changes to rates, the Government expects there to be no direct impact on public health.

Economic Situation: Coronavirus

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the Spending Review 2020 on the UK’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The OBR set out their latest forecasts of the economy and public finances in in their November Economic and Fiscal Outlook[1]. The forecasts take into account the effect of measures announced in Spending Review 2020. The OBR note that “real GDP would have taken a materially-weaker near-term path”[2] in the absence of measures announced since the Summer Economic Update. They also note that “in the medium term, the economic recovery is supported by the strong growth in public investment announced in the March Budget”[3]. [1] OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook November 2020 https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-november-2020/ [2] Page 32, Box 2.1: The impact of fiscal policy on GDP growth and unemployment[3] Page 12, paragraph 1.24

Economic Situation: UK Relations with EU

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of uncertainty over the UK’s relationship with the EU after the transition period for the UK’s departure from the EU on the economy.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The government has been clear that the end of the transition period will bring both changes and opportunities, regardless of our future trade relationship with the EU.  The government has provided certainty about the actions businesses and individuals need to take in preparation for the end of the transition period through the ‘Time is running out’ campaign and published the ‘Reasonable Worst Case Scenario’ for borders illustrating the costs of a lack of preparedness while there is still time to prepare. At Spending Round 2019, the government provided £2 billion of funding to departments to prepare for the UK’s exit from the EU. These preparations have continued over the course of 2020. SR20 provides over £2 billion to support repatriation of functions from the EU and to take back control of UK borders. The end of the transition period also brings opportunities for the UK to seize and Spending Review 2020 supports this. For instance, ensuring the UK’s economy is ready to attract the best and brightest from around the world as the government introduces a new points-based immigration system, with an additional £217 million to deliver the Future Borders and Immigration System, and ensuring departments can make the most of the opportunities this freedom provides, with effective promotion of the UK to investors around the world, including through the new Office for Investment.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish any modelling from September 2020 on the economic effect of (1) introducing the COVID-19 'circuit-breaker' recommended by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, and (2) the introduction of a lockdown to address the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2020 for England.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Throughout the pandemic, economic analysis has been a key part of the advice that ministers use to inform decisions taken in this fast-moving health environment. The Treasury continues to provide economic analysis to ministers on an ongoing basis as part of policy making and design.The Treasury does not produce formal forecasts for the UK economy. Economic and fiscal forecasting is the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) who updated their forecasts on 25 November 2020.

Economic Situation: Coronavirus

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they havemade of the comparative effect of the COVID-19 financial support package on regional economies.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The government recognises that every region is feeling the impact of this crisis and has taken unprecedented steps to support people and businesses across the country. For example, the government has helped over one million employers furlough 9.6 million employments throughout the country, and supported over £60 billion of loans. Regional breakdowns of the uptake of the income support schemes are regularly published on the government’s website. Additionally, we recognise the impact of local restrictions on businesses and this is why we continue to provide monthly grants to both open and closed businesses in tiers 2 and 3, of up to £2,100 and £3,000 respectively, through the Local Restrictions Support Grants. This is in addition to the funding provided to local authorities in tiers 2 and 3 to enable them to make grants of £1,000 to all wet-led pubs, and the Additional Restrictions Grant, that provided all local authorities with a one-off payment to support their local economies in the Autumn, worth £20 per head. We collect and monitor regional data on how our economic support schemes are used at regional and local authority level. No final assessment of the impact of the economic support schemes can yet be made.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they haveto consult Northern Ireland businesses about legislation on anti-avoidance measures for qualifying Northern Ireland goods being sent to the rest of the UK.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The UK Government has been unequivocal in its commitment to unfettered access for Northern Ireland (NI) goods moving to the rest of the UK market. After the Transition Period, under the Government’s phased approach, unfettered access will apply to all goods in free circulation in NI moving directly from NI to GB. This will ensure maximum continuity and avoid disruption. In order to ensure that this special treatment is available only to Northern Ireland businesses, the Government will introduce an anti-avoidance requirement which will prevent businesses from moving goods via Northern Ireland if they do this in order to avoid paying import duties. The first phase of unfettered access is intended to be a bridge to a longer-term regime that will focus its benefits on Northern Ireland businesses. The second phase will be introduced in 2021 and is being developed as a result of engagement with Northern Ireland businesses and the Northern Ireland Executive. Ministers and officials are meeting Northern Ireland businesses regularly to provide clarity on approach and to allow for detailed discussion of proposals related to the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Employment: Coronavirus

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from organisations representing people who are ineligible for COVID-19 financial support schemes.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Treasury ministers and officials have had meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors (including MPs, businesses, professional representative bodies, and the unions) throughout the development of the COVID-19 support package including both the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. This engagement has been widely praised; the Institute for Government said: “The government’s approach to consultation compensated for some of the difficulties of accelerated policy development, because it gave it fast access to information, and an early sense of whether the measures would work and how they would be received by businesses and workers. This contributed to both positive reception on announcement and successful roll-out.”Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the withdrawal of the Coronavirus Job Retention Bonus Scheme on business planning.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has been extended until the end of March 2021 for all parts of the UK, with employees receiving 80% of their usual salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month. The Job Retention Bonus (JRB) will not be paid in February 2021 and the Government will redeploy a retention incentive at the appropriate time. The purpose of the JRB was to encourage employers to keep people in work until the end of January 2021. Having extended the CJRS, the objective of the JRB falls away and the Government will return to that issue once the position on that has become clearer. The Government remains committed to providing some form of employer support of this kind in due course.

Music: VAT

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow the temporary reduced rate of VAT of five per cent for certain attractions to apply where a concert is being streamed as live, but for technical reasons was required to be pre-recorded.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Where online access is provided for live-streamed entertainment events when no audience can be present due to lockdown restrictions, the temporary reduced rate of VAT may apply as long as the performance is broadcast live. A pre-recorded concert that can be automatically delivered with minimal or no human intervention is likely to be an electronically supplied service; the liability of which will depend upon the place of supply rules. Further information on the temporary reduced rate for admissions and electronically supplied services can be found on GOV.UK at the Revenue and Customs Brief on VAT on admission charges to attractions.

Peers: Correspondence

Lord Lamont of Lerwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to reply to the letter sent byLord Lamont of Lerwick to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 1 September.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Chancellor hopes to reply to Lord Lamont’s letter shortly. He has asked his officials to look into Lord Lamont’s letter, and to consider the policy proposal contained therein.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Youth Services: Finance

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their commitment in The Conservative and Unionist Party Manifesto 2019, published on 24 November 2019, to invest "£500 million in youth services for young people", what plans they have to make this investment; and why this investment did not appear in theSpending Review 2020, published on 25 November.

Baroness Barran: The Youth Investment Fund remains a manifesto commitment for transformative levelling up across the country over the course of the parliament. In the recently announced Spending Review,, £30m of this was committed as capital investment for 2021-22. This will provide an important additional investment in new and refurbished safe spaces for young people, so they can access support from youth workers, and positive activities out of school, including sport and culture. Further details of the timetable for allocation will be announced in due course.

Internet: Safety

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capability of UK regulators (1) to maintain existing statutory protections relating to harmful online content, and (2) to ensure effective enforcement of these protections, between the end of the transition period for the UK’s departure from the EU and the enactment of their proposed online harms legislation.

Baroness Barran: The Government is firmly committed to making the UK the safest place in the world to be online and the end of the transition period will not affect this. Regulations transposing the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS Directive) came into force on the 1st of November 2020 and require UK-established video sharing platforms (VSPs) to have systems and processes in place to protect the public, including minors, from illegal and harmful material. Ofcom has the power to take enforcement action against UK-established VSPs which do not take adequate appropriate measures, or which do not implement the measures adequately, in order to protect UK users.VSPs established in the European Economic Area will not be regulated by Ofcom and will be regulated by the Member State that they are established in. As the regulation under this VSP regime is systems regulation and not content regulation, we expect platforms based outside of the UK to set up and invest in systems in order to comply with the AVMS Directive. It is anticipated that these same systems will also be introduced for their UK subsidiaries particularly in anticipation of the incoming online harms regime. Regulation provided by other EU Member States will therefore be effective and robust enough to provide protection to UK users until such time as the online harms regime is in place.As the AVMS Directive aligns well with the Government’s plans to tackle online harms, the VSP regime will be repealed and superseded by the online harms regulatory framework, once it comes into force. We will publish the Full Government Response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation later this year, which will contain more detailed proposals on online harms regulation.